Police arrest midwife over alleged involvement in child trafficking syndicate

The Ghana Police Service has arrested an additional suspect in an ongoing child trafficking investigation that has already led to the rescue of two child victims.

The latest suspect, identified as Lucinda Naomi Otchere, is a midwife in charge of the maternity and labour ward at Trust Mother and Child Hospital at Osu.

According to police, preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect allegedly received a missing seven-year-old girl from another suspect, Janet Larbi, and paid GH¢20,000 to facilitate the transaction.

Investigators further revealed that Lucinda Naomi Otchere allegedly gave an additional GH¢35,000 to Janet Larbi and instructed her to send another victim, a five-year-old girl, to a couple residing at Pokuase.

Police say intelligence gathered so far suggests the syndicate has been involved in child trafficking activities for a considerable period.

The latest arrest follows an earlier operation by the Central East Regional Police Command, during which six suspects  Grace Osei Afriyie, Regina Agyeiwaa, Janet Larbi, Mary Dotse, Yvonne Twumasi and Sakina Omar   were arrested over child trafficking and child stealing offences.

The investigations began after the Kasoa Divisional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit received a complaint on April 10, 2026, regarding the disappearance of seven-year-old Khadija Karim in Kasoa.

Police investigations established that the child had allegedly been lured by Janet Larbi and Sakina Omar under the pretext of taking her to see her biological mother.

She was reportedly taken to an undisclosed location and kept by another woman before later being returned to Kasoa and warned not to disclose the incident.

Further investigations linked the suspects to another case involving the theft of a 10-month-old infant and a five-year-old girl, who were allegedly taken from their mother under the guise of providing care for them.

The infant was later traced to the Ashanti Region, where police say the child had allegedly been sold to Grace Osei Afriyie and Regina Agyeiwaa for GH¢35,000.

Police have since rescued and reunited the infant with the biological parent, while Khadija Karim has also been safely rescued.

However, authorities say the five-year-old girl believed to have been sent to Pokuase is still missing.

The Police Service has therefore appealed to the couple allegedly holding the child at Pokuase Agya Herbal to voluntarily hand over the child to the nearest police station or contact police immediately.

According to police, five suspects are currently on remand, while Grace Osei Afriyie has been granted court bail. The case will resume at the Ofankor Circuit Court, today, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

Police say efforts are ongoing to arrest all remaining accomplices connected to the trafficking syndicate and urged the public to volunteer information that could assist investigations.